December 4, 2016

On Aug. 15, 1969, more than 400,000 young people made their way to a dairy farm in the town of Bethel, New York, for the Woodstock Music and Art Fair.

The event was billed as "three days of peace and music" and featured 32 of the most iconic artists in American music history. More than just a festival, Woodstock captured perfectly the free spirit of the 1960s and became a cultural landmark that represents an entire generation of American youth. Now take a look back at the highlight of the summer of love with these 22 beautiful Woodstock photos:

1. Cow Town

Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in The Catskills, upstate New York, was the site of the legendary festival. The farm owner received many threatening calls from neighbors and those in opposition of the concert.

2. Opening Day

The year is 1969. Swami Satchidananda gives the invocation for Woodstock on opening day.

3. Trippy Teens

Rolling Stone magazine's first photographer Baron Wolman captured this image. He was more interested in the crowd than the performers.

4. Flyin' High

A woman is tossed in the air by other concert goers. With many rainy days, the summer concert turned into a mud-fest.

5. Mellow Mama

For hippie parents, Woodstock became a family affair. There were several reports of women giving birth at the festival while 8 women suffered miscarriages during the event.

6. Recovering

Teens rest in the shade during the 3 day music festival. It is estimated that 400,000-500,000 young people were in attendance.

7. Young Love

A couple is seen waiting for a performance. Many young people practiced "Free Love" during this time. Free Love is the concept that people are free to love whomever they please, whenever they please, wherever they please.

8. Joe Cocker

Joe Cocker took the stage on the third and final day. He performed 5 songs.

9. Grace Slick

Grace Slick told Rolling Stone magazine she remembers taking a helicopter from her hotel to the show because the roads were so messed up. She sat around smoking dope and drinking wine, waiting to perform. She finally hit the stage around 7 in the morning.

10. Packed Performance

Woodstock photographer Baron Wolman captured this image of the crowd stating, "The 1960's were simply wildly photogenic in every way imaginable."

11. Far Out Family

A young mother is photographed in a psychedelic van with her child. Many children and expectant mothers attended the festival, including a six month pregnant Joan Baez, who performed on stage.

12. Wild Weather

Advertised as a "weekend in the country," the outdoor festival saw wet weather, mud baths, and technical delays due to rain.

13. Drug Sale

Although Woodstock is known for free love, acid trips, and pot smoking, police actually arrested 33 people on drug charges.

14. Dance Party

Peace, love, and partying were photographed in every angle at Woodstock. Thirty-two acts performed for half a million people.

15. The Masses

Out of the hundreds of thousands of attendees, only 109 were arrested according to police documents.

16. Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix insisted on being the final performer to play at Woodstock. Many people had already left the event by the time his 8:30am set started Monday morning.

17. Rock Out

A woman sings amongt a crowd of concert-goers. Organizers were worried the "hippy heavy-metal music" would create violence.

18. Celebrate Good Times

Author Pete Fornatale commented on the youth of Woodstock 1969 stating, "They came for the music, but found something much larger than the music in those three days."

19. Santana

Carlos Santana performed Saturday, August 16th. Here he is seen playing with bass guitarist David Brown. Out of all the bands who played at Woodstock and later became huge successes, Santana was paid the least at just $1,500 (compared to Hendrix $32,000).

20. Sold Out

Many vendors sold out of food quickly. The "Food For Love" concession raised their prices from 25 cents to $1. The crowds saw it as "capitalist exploitation" and burnt the stand down.

21. In Color

Life Magazine released a series of color images detailing the rain-soaked days and nights of Woodstock 1969. They described Woodstock as "less a music festival than a total experience, a phenomenon, a happening, high adventure, a near disaster and, in a small way, a struggle for survival."

22. Together Forever

This famous image shows Bobbi Kelly and her boyfriend Nick Ercoline. They married two years after Woodstock, had two children, and are still together.